Electrical conductivity based oil detection and skimming

Oil spills are a serious threat to marine life and often result from industrial activities. To combat the problem of floating oil, oil skimming is a crucial technique that uses polyurethane (PU) belts to adsorb oil effluents. However, a fresh method has been created that involves incorporating electric conductivity properties into oil skimmers. This creative approach makes use of the different conductivity properties of water and oil, allowing for the detection of oil on water. As oil is bad conductor of electricity and water is good conductor, by sensing the current flow we can get to know the presence of oil, because it does not allow current to flow. The prototype for this project is propelled by a BLDC motor and controlled through Bluetooth from a pre-built app, using the HC-05 Bluetooth module. An Arduino UNO R3 microcontroller monitors the output of the voltage sensor and relays this information to the operator. With the potential to greatly improve oil skimming operations and minimize the environmental impact of oil spills, this innovation will be a promising development.